The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IMM) has gifted the city a vibrant new venue for culture, art, and community life with the Turhan Selçuk Culture House in Kadıköy. Named after Turhan Selçuk—one of the major figures in Turkish cartoon history, who began publishing cartoons in 1941 and continued his prolific output in various newspapers for decades—the Culture House is located in the historic home of fellow cartoonist Cemil Cem, on Cem Street.

With its library and museum, the Turhan Selçuk Culture House brings a breath of fresh air to Istanbul, opening its doors to art lovers with a selection that traces Turhan Selçuk’s life and the entirety of his career. Curated by Aslı Selçuk, the exhibition features 254 items, including 65 original cartoons from the family collection, personal belongings, awards, and works gifted to Turhan Selçuk. The exhibition is organized by decade, charting the development of Selçuk’s style from the early years of his career. Visitors gain insight into the creation of iconic cartoons such as Abdülcanbaz and Hababam Sınıfı, which have made a mark on Turkish society. Cartoons published internationally, as well as magazine and book covers, highlight Selçuk’s global status and the diversity of his work.

The exhibition also pays tribute to Cemil Cem, a foundational figure in Turkish cartooning, displaying 26 original cartoons from the Osmantan Erkır collection. In a special room dedicated to Cem, visitors can see magazines and various cartoon visuals from the Atatürk Library archive as well as a reproduction of the renowned "Veli Efendi Meadow" painting from the Istanbul Museum of Painting and Sculpture collection.